Center-plate construction



Jan. 28, 1930. e. s. CHILES CENTER PLATE CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 26, 1925 2 SheetsSheet 1 Jan. 28, 1930. G. s. CHILES CENTER PLATE CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 26, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fizz/e722? George 5 672M663 Patented Jan. 28, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE S. CHILES, OF ST, LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGIIOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS TO SGULLIN STEEL 00., OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE CENTER-PLATE CONSTRUCTION Application filed October 26, 1925.

The present invention relates to center plate construction.

In center plate construction it is desirable to reduce weight as much as possible without reducing the factor of safety, to reduce the height to give additional bolster depth or a lower center line of draft, to simplify the construction, and to provide smooth and level surfaces, whereby machining is reduced to a minimum.

The car trucks act as supports for the car body, and in addition to merely supporting the car body, the two parts must be held in position relative to one another in such a man ner as to allow the truck to revolve slightly relative to the car body; in other words, the mounting of the truck calls fOl'fiOIIlB sort of a pivot connection, and in addition, a certain tilting or rocking action must be provided for when the car rolls from one side bearing to the other.

Certain center plate constructions 1n com mon use are open to objection.

An object of the present invention is to provide center plate construction which 1s simple and easily machined.

A further object is to provide a center plate construction of minimum height and minimum weight.

A further object is to provide a center plate construction which is readily repaired and which provides a maximum of bearing surface.

Further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

Referring to the drawings--- Figure 1 is a sectional view, taken trans versely of the car, illustrating one embodr ment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view illustrating a slightly modified form of center plate construction;

Figure 3illustrates a form similar to Figure 1, but shows a plate which may be inserted between the wearing surfaces to prevent wear on the center plates proper, or to facilitate shimming and raising or lowering the coupler height;

Figures 4: and 5 are views in elevation and transverse section, respectively, of a truck Serial No. 64,766.

center plate formed integrally with the top cover plate of a fabricated or built up truck bolster;

Figure 6 indicates the action of a center plate involving the principles of the present invention; and

Figure 7 illustrates the bearing surface when said center plates are rolled upon one another, when according to Figure 7 a square center plate construction such as permitted by the present invention is used.

The numeral 1 indicates a truck bolster, and the numeral 2 indicates a body bolster. The truck bolster 1 is provided with the center plate indicated by the numeral 3, and the body bolster 2 is provided with the center plate 1 adapted to bear upon the center plate 3. A king pin 5 is provided, which permits relative rotation between the bolsters 1 and 2 and which also permits a certain amount of rolling action such as is encountered in railway service. The truck bolster 1 includes the upper web 1 and the lower web 1, which are connected centrally of the bolster by the bearing support 1", which underlies the center plates 3 and 4:.

Referring again to Figure 1, the truck center plate 8 is provided with a bearing surface 10 of very considerable extent. According to the structure shown in Figure 1, the upper surface of the truck center plate is provided with an annular groove 11 for the reception of a downwardly extending ring 12 forming part of the body center plate 4. Said body center plate 4 is provided with a bearing surface 13 cooperating with the bear ing surface 10 of the center plate 3. According to Figure 2, the ring 12 is modified to take the form of a pad 1 1. Moreover, due to the advantageous position of said ring 12 or pad 14:, said ring or pad need not be of much height, this advantage accruing from the fact that rocking action of the truck bolster 2 will have very little effect in freeing the ring 12 or pad 14 from its cooperating center plate. By reason of the small circumference and the small height of the ring 12 of the present invention. a considerable saving in material and weight is accomplished from prior practice. Moreover, the reduction in height of the retaining ring carries with it the advantage that with greater depth available in bolster design, bolster weight may be reduced, or the extra space available may be employed to lower the center sills.

It will be noted that according to the present invention it is a relatively simple matter to grind the bearing surface 10 of the truck bolster 3. Due to the simple construction of the center plate 4 of the body bolster, grinding of the bearing surface of said center plate 4 is also relatively simple. It will be preferred to leave a small clearance between the ring 12 and the adjacent upper surface of the center plate 3. After a slight amount of wear has occurred on the upper or contact bearing surface, however, the lower surface of the ring 12 will contact with the adjacent upper surface of the center plate 3 and give additional bearing surface.

If particularly heavy wear should occur on the center plates, wearing plates may be provided. Fi ure 3 illustrates such a wearing plate, whic wearing plate is indicated by the numeral 15. Said wearing plate 15 may be held in place by any preferred holding means. It may be found preferable in practice to weld said wearing plate 15 in position.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate a fabricated or built up truck bolster having the center late 3 formed as part of said fabricated lster.

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate advantages which accrue from the present invention.

According to the present invention, wherein the uppermost portion of the truck center plate provides the bearing surface, it is possible to choose the configuration of said bearing surface as preferred. Figures (3 and 7 illustrate bearing surfaces of rectangular configuration. Said bearing surface may be elongated lengthwise of the bolster if additional bearing area is considered to be desirable. By reason of this advantage, a large bearing area may be had without the provision of overhanging portions on the bolster, which overhanging portions are decidedly objectionable for many reasons, among which ma be mentioned the fact that they involve di culties in molding.

According to the present invention the bearing area between the center plates, being preferably rectangular in shape, may have greater dimensions for given sizes of bolster than is possible with the old style construction. Moreover, the dimensions of the outer part or rectangular area could be altered if the central part were held the same, and the center plates would still be interchangeable. Expressed in other language, given a standard size for the ring 12, truck center plates and body center plates may be used together interchangeably, thereby providing for more flexibility in railroad service than is possible with the outer ring form of center plate now used, as disclosed in prior constructions.

Figure 7 represents the action of the new form of center plate when the car rolls from side to side. \Vith the new form of center plate having the rectangular bearing area, a relatively great area of contact, indicated by the shaded lines in Figure 7, is secured.

By reference to Figures 1, 4 and 6, it will be noted that the outlines of the top surface of the truck bolster and of the under surface of the body bolster are free of abrupt offsets and are substantially tangent to one another at the bearing surfaces; that is to say, the center plates are so designed that relatively smooth lines defining the upper surface of the body bolster and the under surface of the body bolster are not interrupted by the center plates, which construction results in the reduction of height from prior practice, in which the center plate construction has required a considerable separation between the lower boundary of the body bolster and the upper boundary of the truck bolster.

The present invention simplifies the matter of construction, provides for greater flexibility with relation to the matter of interchangeability of parts, provides a relatively great bearing area between the center plates, and meets the requirements of railroad service in better fashion than has heretofore been possible in center plate construction with which applicant is familiar.

Though certain preferred embodiments have been described in detail, many modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. It is intended to cover all such modifications that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Vhat is claimed is- 1. Railway car construction comprising, in combination, a truck bolster and a body bolster, the outlines of the upper surface of said truck bolster and the under surface of said body bolster being free of abrupt offsets and substantially tangent to one another at the bearing surfaces, said truck bolster being provided with a truck center plate and said body bolster being provided with a body center plate, said truck center plate having a flat bearing surface at its uppermost portion, said body center plate having a downwardly projecting portion seated within a corresponding recess in said truck center plate near the center of said center plates and having a flat bearing surface bearing on said flat bearing surface of said truck center plate, said body bolster including upper and lower web members and a central bearing support connecting said web members and underlying said bearing surface.

2. Railway car construction comprising, in combination, a truck bolster and a body bolster, the outlines of the upper surface of said truck bolster and the under surface of said body bolster being substantially tangent to one another at the bearing surfaces, said truck bolster being provided with a truck center plate and said body bolster being provided with a body center plate, said truck center plate having a flat bearing surface at its uppermost portion, said body center plate having a downwardly projecting portion seated within a corresponding recess in said truck center plate near the center of said center plates and having a flat bearing surface bearing on said flat bearing surface of said truck center plate, said body bolster including upper and lower web members and a central bearing support connecting said web members and underlying said bearing surface.

Signed at St. Louis, Missouri, this 22nd day of October, 1925.

GEORGE S. CHILES. 2o 

